1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to connector assemblies, combinations and methods for use with electrical wires and cables. The disclosure is further directed to connector assemblies, combinations and methods that include a sub-assembly and are adapted for use with foil-shielded twisted pair (FTP) cables.
2. Background Art
Twisted pair cabling is a form of wiring in which two conductors (wires/cables) are wound together for the purposes of canceling out electromagnetic interference (EMI), electromagnetic radiation from unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wires/cables, crosstalk between neighboring pairs of cable/wire, or radiofrequency interference (RFI). Twisting wires/cables decreases interference because the loop area between the wires is reduced. In balanced pair operation, two wires/cables typically carry equal and opposite signals which are combined by addition at the destination. The common-mode noise from the two wires/cables helps to cancel each other because the two wires have similar amounts of EMI that are 180 degrees out of phase.
In order to further reduce interference and other sources of signal deterioration, electrical wires/cables often further include an insulating jacket surrounding each individual wire, a metal foil or braided sheath surrounding twisted wire/cable pairs and a drain wire. Twisted pair wires/cables are often shielded in attempt to prevent electromagnetic interference, but, because the shielding is made of metal, shielding may also serve as a ground. However, a shielded or screened twisted pair wire/cable usually has a special grounding wire added called a drain wire. A drain wire directs extraneous signals to ground. Shielding can be applied to individual wire/cable pairs, or to a collection of pairs. When shielding is applied to the collection of all pairs of wires/cables present, the shielding is referred to as screening. Shielding must usually be grounded for the shielding to function properly. Cables which include at least one twisted wire/cable pair (in which the wires/cables may be individually insulated), a drain wire, a metal foil or sheath surrounding the twisted pair(s) and drain wire, and an insulating jacket surrounding the wires/cables and the metal foil or sheath are commonly referred to as foil-shielded twisted pair (FTP) cables.
An FTP cable may be terminated by a connector assembly, such as a jack, that is adapted to operatively engage a mating connector, such as a plug. A jack typically includes a housing, sometimes made from several individual parts, that is manufactured from non-conductive material(s). A jack assembly may include a metal wrap to provide similar interference prevention as the metal foil or sheath in an FTP cable. Stated differently, a metal wrap in a jack housing, or other similarly functioning mechanism, may serve as a continuation of the foil wrap or shielding of an FTP cable, so that continuity of shielding is provided to and through the connection into the jack housing. In such shielded jacks, the drain wire of an FTP cable may be secured to the metal wrap. A mating shield plug may be engaged within a shielded jack, and the metal shield of the jack may contact the metal wrap of the jack, thereby providing electrical continuity.
An end user of a connector assembly (also known as a jack) is the installer. An end user typically connects an FTB cable to a corresponding jack manually—i.e., by physically exposing the wire/cable of the twisted pair(s), exposing the terminals located inside the jack housing if they are not already exposed, connecting the wires/cables to the terminals, and, finally, assembling the jack into its final form. The final form of a connector assembly commonly includes a covering or other protecting mechanism over the wire-terminal connections.
As an example, WO 2008/081087 discloses a socket to be mounted on a multi-conductor cable and includes a removable comb defining a central channel, a connection terminal block, and a screw and nut assembly. According to WO 2008/081087, the screw is fixedly mounted on the removable comb for axial translation and rotation relative the axis (X) of the socket. The terminal block includes two columns that prevent the rotation of the comb. The screw defines two helical slopes capable of engaging corresponding helical notches defined by the columns of the connection terminal block. As the screw is rotated, the helical slopes and helical notches interact and a torque is created. This torque causes translation between the screw and the terminal block, ultimately resulting in a secure connection between the screw, comb and terminal block.
It is important for an end user to securely connect the FTB wire/cable to the jack housing because a secure connection can prevent the FTB cable from pulling away from the housing and therefore cause the FTP twisted pair wires from disconnecting or disengaging from the terminals located inside the jack housing. As discussed above, to ensure proper functionality it is important that an end user securely engages the subcomponents of a jack to one another, provides continuity of shielding to and through the connection into the jack housing, and provides a secure connection between the terminals of the jack and the individual FTP wires. To further ensure proper functionality, it is also critical that the end user securely connects the FTP wires to the terminals located inside the jack housing.
Despite efforts to date, a need remains for connector assemblies, combinations and methods that provide enhanced FTP cable-to-jack connections. A need also remains for connector assemblies, combinations and methods that provide for improved connector assembly construction where each sub-component of the connector assembly can be easily secured to one another by an end user. Yet another need remains for connector assemblies, combinations and methods that provide enhanced FTP wire-to-terminal connections and shielding. These and other needs are satisfied by the connector assemblies, combinations and methods disclosed herein.